Life Measured By Books

I have 42 books on the table next to my bed. Can a life be measured by books? If so, what do our books say about us - our passions, interests, values, desires and fantasies? If the saying you are what you eat holds a kind of truth; are we also what we read?

Here is what I can tell you about the 42 books on my table:

I haven't written any of them

I have read 34 of them

I have read 4 of them, twice

I know 14 of the authors

I purchased 12 of them

12 are hardcover

I have represented 9 of the authors

2 of the books are on personal finance

I have yet to read either of them

2 are collections of short stories

1 is a collection of essays

2 are books of poetry

1 arrived from the Amazon Stork yesterday

I have had 1 of them since the day I was born

A sample of titles in no particular order:

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (for grades 5-8)

Dangerous Muse: The Life of Lady Caroline Blackwood by Nancy Schoenberger

Self-Help: Stories by Lorrie Moore by Lorrie Moore

Why We Make Movies: Black Filmmakers Talk About the Magic of Cinema by George Alexander

The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life & Times of Harvey Milk by Randy Shilts

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

Mother Teresa's Prescription: Finding Happiness & Peace in Service by Paul A. Wright

Passing: Poems by Eloise Klein Healy

After a survey of my books, I have come to discover some patterns. Some are not surprising, while others are rather eye-opening.

Next time you're in bed, glance at the nightstand. What secrets do these silent tomes hold between their pages? They just might read you, like a book.